In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine, peach, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. We also grow a reasonable number of open pollinated seeds of each of these species. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as `Kay Sweet`. The present variety was selected from a group of open pollinated seedlings resulting from a mixed collection of seeds grown in 1992 from various unnamed white flesh nectarine trees located in a cultivated area of our experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of Nemaguard Rootstock, the standard of the stone fruit industry in central California, upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is most similar to the `Diamond Bright` U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,495) nectarine by producing nearly full red colored clingstone nectarines that are yellow flesh in texture and that ripen in late May and early June, but is very distinguished therefrom and an improvement thereon by blooming early instead of late, as compared to other nectarine trees, and by producing fruit that is subacidic in flavor instead of acidic, that is much sweeter in flavor, and that is somewhat conical instead of globose in shape.